Religion
With the formation of society, various 'religions '''were created to explain what happens to someone after death. While these questions have never remained an incredibly important part of society, they still question the purpose of life and what comes after death. Religion in Albion During the long history of Albion, there have been many religions, most of them being direct opposites to each other. One of the oldest was a faith dedicated to the worship of an evil god known as Firis, which had fallen into disuse by the Age of Heroes. "Dragon cults" were also a phenomena of the Old Kingdom, whose members would burn the blood of victims to gain favour with the Dragons of the North. The Fire Assassins were one such group. Another faith of particular note was that of the god Eggtor, a chicken god whose followers celebrated their god by wearing a chicken hat and praising him over a period of three days. Two other popular gods, praised among lovers all across Albion, are Lamentia and Sylkana. These gods also saw a decline in popularity. The two largest deities of this period however were Avo and Skorm. Avo was a benevolent god who accepted donations of gold, while Skorm was an evil god who accepted human sacrifices. The two gods are actually fake, as revealed by the Oracle. After the destruction of the Heroes Guild and during the Decade of Knowledgification, the two churches disbanded and the people of Albion stopped pinning the forces of nature on gods and sought to find scientific explanations. However, it didn't stay that way. Not long after the dissolution of the Chapel of Skorm, the Temple of Shadows was formed within a ruined cathedral. The group is mostly formed from rich folk who see evil as nothing more than a hobby, but the forces they worship are much more real than Skorm. The sacrifices they make range from demented, to reversing someone's sex, to turning them into chickens, or to pure evil (such as turning someone into a living Shadow). The group works on a weekly schedule, with events such as Torture Tuesday, and Poker Night Friday. A similar religion thrived during Albion's Industrial Revolution if the Dark Sanctum was reconstructed par Lesley's orders, in which macabre activities, like human sacrifice, continued to be practiced. On the other side of the spectrum however, is the Temple of Light. A lone missionary went on a desperate pilgrimage, and decided to wander into to a dark cave, expecting to find nothing. However, the man did find something. He found the Wellspring of Light. Using the pure waters from the cave, a golden acorn was planted and from that came the Golden Oak, a tree that makes all the surrounding lands fertile for a few decades before producing another acorn and dying. The man, now known as Albert the Luminous, founded the Temple of Light and from the Golden Oak, the small farming community of Oakfield is born. Other religions also exist. There is a sect known as the Chasm that believes that one day the world will be consumed be a great chasm, and true believes like themselves will reign supreme. A cult dedicated to Jack of Blades was also founded after his death, known as the Cult of Blades. The Chieftain of Knothole Island also makes reference to some unnamed gods, claiming, "You must have angered the Gods, because they haven't stopped spitting at us since you left." Further references to polytheism are made by the Snowspire Oracle, who speaks of a "War of the Gods," and by Jack of Blades, who compares his power to theirs'. Also, in ''Fable II there are several statues found throughout the countryside and inside old ruins. The ones found in the wilderness often seem to have an offering of wine and sometimes food. In addition, there are also references to heaven and hell in game, such as 'what the Hell do you think you're doing?' or, 'Look, he's gone to Hobbe Heaven.' However these are usually said in a casual sense or out of a sense of habit, with little weight to the words. Some characters, such as Samuel in Fable III, make up their own references to divine authority, such as 'by the divine bookmark!'. Some people still believe in divine intervention, such as James, who lost his wedding ring, had it recovered, and, believing both events were divine intervention, called off his wedding. Humans are not the only creatures in Albion with a religion. Hobbes can be consistently seen practicing a form of religion dedicated to the worship of various human-made items, specifically teddy bears. This can especially be seen within the Dankwater Cavern. Religion in Aurora Religion in the southern desert continent of Aurora seems to play a much greater role in life than religion does in Albion. A massive temple dominates the capital city, dedicated to an unknown religion that places great emphasis on a series of dyes that mark one's emotional state and differest aspects of Auroran society. Aurorans also place an almost-religious dedication to their greatest heroes, including Salar the Righteous, wielder of Aurora's Shield, and the mighty hero Tannar the Great, who defended Aurora with the appropriately named Tannar's Glory. In addition, a great number of hooded statues are scattered throughout Aurora and placed in little shrines, denoting some other religious belief. Finally, one of the Aurorans makes reference to his wife and family watching over him from some sort of afterlife. Religion in Samarkand A number of religions exist in the mysterious eastern continent of Samarkand. According to the item description for The Rising Sun, at least one tribe in Samarkand considers dawns sacred. In addition, ''Fable: Edge of the World ''describes a holy site of particular importance known as the Cave of a Thousand Guardians, an important meditation and spiritual resting place that is held in absolute reverence by the locals. Category:Lore